Report: ESPN matches offer for Big East TV rights

It appears as though Big East basketball will keep being broadcast on ESPN.

ESPN spokesperson Mike Soltys posted on Twitter Saturday morning, “ESPN has matched an offer for the Big East and we look forward to continuing our relationship.”

The initial offer from NBC Sports was worth an estimated $20 million annually, according to the Associated Press, and nets each member roughly $2 million.

As of now, UConn is one of three current members that haven’t found a new conference for the future (Cincinnati and South Florida are the others). Schools jumping to the ACC — Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Notre Dame — will take home roughly $17 million annually from the league’s TV contract. Even the Catholic Seven, which features subpar programs such as DePaul (tonight’s opponent), will profit more from a hoops-only TV contract than UConn will from both football and basketball.

Rumors popped up last week of the Big 10′s interest in North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Virginia. If an ACC team is eventually plucked, UConn figures to be among the leading candidates to fill the vacancy.